Semiconductor device including superlattice with O18 enriched monolayers

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device may include a semiconductor layer, and a superlattice adjacent the semiconductor layer and including stacked groups of layers. Each group of layers may include stacked base semiconductor monolayers defining a base semiconductor portion, and at least one oxygen monolayer constrained within a crystal lattice of adjacent base semiconductor portions. The at least one oxygen monolayer of a given group of layers may include an atomic percentage of 18O greater than 10 percent.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to semiconductor devices and,more particularly, to semiconductor devices with enhanced semiconductormaterials and associated methods.

BACKGROUND

Structures and techniques have been proposed to enhance the performanceof semiconductor devices, such as by enhancing the mobility of thecharge carriers. For example, U.S. Patent Application No. 2003/0057416to Currie et al. discloses strained material layers of silicon,silicon-germanium, and relaxed silicon and also including impurity-freezones that would otherwise cause performance degradation. The resultingbiaxial strain in the upper silicon layer alters the carrier mobilitiesenabling higher speed and/or lower power devices. Published U.S. PatentApplication No. 2003/0034529 to Fitzgerald et al. discloses a CMOSinverter also based upon similar strained silicon technology.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,472,685 B2 to Takagi discloses a semiconductor deviceincluding a silicon and carbon layer sandwiched between silicon layersso that the conduction band and valence band of the second silicon layerreceive a tensile strain. Electrons having a smaller effective mass, andwhich have been induced by an electric field applied to the gateelectrode, are confined in the second silicon layer, thus, an n-channelMOSFET is asserted to have a higher mobility.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,204 to Ishibashi et al. discloses a superlattice inwhich a plurality of layers, less than eight monolayers, and containinga fractional or binary or a binary compound semiconductor layer, arealternately and epitaxially grown. The direction of main current flow isperpendicular to the layers of the superlattice.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,119 to Wang et al. discloses a Si—Ge short periodsuperlattice with higher mobility achieved by reducing alloy scatteringin the superlattice. Along these lines, U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,934 toCandelaria discloses an enhanced mobility MOSFET including a channellayer comprising an alloy of silicon and a second materialsubstitutionally present in the silicon lattice at a percentage thatplaces the channel layer under tensile stress.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,262 to Tsu discloses a quantum well structurecomprising two barrier regions and a thin epitaxially grownsemiconductor layer sandwiched between the barriers. Each barrier regionconsists of alternate layers of SiO2/Si with a thickness generally in arange of two to six monolayers. A much thicker section of silicon issandwiched between the barriers.

An article entitled “Phenomena in silicon nanostructure devices” also toTsu and published online Sep. 6, 2000 by Applied Physics and MaterialsScience & Processing, pp. 391-402 discloses a semiconductor-atomicsuperlattice (SAS) of silicon and oxygen. The Si/O superlattice isdisclosed as useful in a silicon quantum and light-emitting devices. Inparticular, a green electroluminescence diode structure was constructedand tested. Current flow in the diode structure is vertical, that is,perpendicular to the layers of the SAS. The disclosed SAS may includesemiconductor layers separated by adsorbed species such as oxygen atoms,and CO molecules. The silicon growth beyond the adsorbed monolayer ofoxygen is described as epitaxial with a fairly low defect density. OneSAS structure included a 1.1 nm thick silicon portion that is abouteight atomic layers of silicon, and another structure had twice thisthickness of silicon. An article to Luo et al. entitled “Chemical Designof Direct-Gap Light-Emitting Silicon” published in Physical ReviewLetters, Vol. 89, No. 7 (Aug. 12, 2002) further discusses the lightemitting SAS structures of Tsu.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,105,895 to Wang et al. discloses a barrier buildingblock of thin silicon and oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous,antimony, arsenic or hydrogen to thereby reduce current flowingvertically through the lattice more than four orders of magnitude. Theinsulating layer/barrier layer allows for low defect epitaxial siliconto be deposited next to the insulating layer.

Published Great Britain Patent Application 2,347,520 to Mears et al.discloses that principles of Aperiodic Photonic Band-Gap (APBG)structures may be adapted for electronic bandgap engineering. Inparticular, the application discloses that material parameters, forexample, the location of band minima, effective mass, etc., can betailored to yield new aperiodic materials with desirable band-structurecharacteristics. Other parameters, such as electrical conductivity,thermal conductivity and dielectric permittivity or magneticpermeability are disclosed as also possible to be designed into thematerial.

Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,376,337 to Wang et al. discloses a methodfor producing an insulating or barrier layer for semiconductor deviceswhich includes depositing a layer of silicon and at least one additionalelement on the silicon substrate whereby the deposited layer issubstantially free of defects such that epitaxial silicon substantiallyfree of defects can be deposited on the deposited layer. Alternatively,a monolayer of one or more elements, preferably comprising oxygen, isabsorbed on a silicon substrate. A plurality of insulating layerssandwiched between epitaxial silicon forms a barrier composite.

Despite the existence of such approaches, further enhancements may bedesirable for using advanced semiconductor materials and processingtechniques to achieve improved performance in semiconductor devices.

SUMMARY

A semiconductor device may include a semiconductor layer, and asuperlattice adjacent the semiconductor layer and comprising a pluralityof stacked groups of layers. Each group of layers may comprise aplurality of stacked base semiconductor monolayers defining a basesemiconductor portion, and at least one oxygen monolayer constrainedwithin a crystal lattice of adjacent base semiconductor portions. The atleast one oxygen monolayer of a given group of layers may comprise anatomic percentage of ¹⁸O greater than 10 percent.

By way of example, the at least one oxygen monolayer of the given groupof layers may comprise an atomic percentage of ₁₈O greater than 50percent, and more particularly greater than 90 percent. The at least oneoxygen monolayer of the given group of layers may further comprises ¹⁶Oin some embodiments. In an example embodiment, the at least one oxygenmonolayer of each group of layers may comprise an atomic percentage of¹⁸O greater than 10 percent.

In one example configuration, the semiconductor device may furtherinclude source and drain regions on the semiconductor layer and defininga channel in the superlattice, and a gate above the superlattice. Inaccordance with another example embodiment, the semiconductor device mayfurther include a metal layer above the superlattice. Furthermore, insome embodiments the superlattice may divide the semiconductor layerinto a first region and a second region, with the first region having asame conductivity type and a different dopant concentration than thesecond region. In accordance with another example implementation, thesuperlattice may divide the semiconductor layer into a first region anda second region, with the first region having a different conductivitytype than the second region. By way of example, the base semiconductorlayer may comprise silicon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a greatly enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of asuperlattice for use in a semiconductor device in accordance with anexample embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective schematic atomic diagram of a portion of thesuperlattice shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of anotherembodiment of a superlattice in accordance with an example embodiment.

FIG. 4A is a graph of the calculated band structure from the gamma point(G) for both bulk silicon as in the prior art, and for the 4/1 Si/Osuperlattice as shown in FIGS. 1-2 .

FIG. 4B is a graph of the calculated band structure from the Z point forboth bulk silicon as in the prior art, and for the 4/1 Si/O superlatticeas shown in FIGS. 1-2 .

FIG. 4C is a graph of the calculated band structure from both the gammaand Z points for both bulk silicon as in the prior art, and for the5/1/3/1 Si/O superlattice as shown in FIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a semiconductor deviceincluding a superlattice with an enriched ¹⁸O monolayer in accordancewith an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another semiconductordevice including a superlattice with a plurality of enriched ¹⁸Omonolayers and dividing a semiconductor layer into regions of differentconductivity types.

FIG. 7 is a graph of measured oxygen concentration vs depth for a testsemiconductor device including typical ¹⁶O monolayers and ¹⁸O enhancedmonolayers.

FIG. 8 is a table showing ¹⁸O and ¹⁶O dose loss for the implementationof FIG. 7 .

FIG. 9 is a graph of ¹⁸O and ¹⁶O dose loss vs. anneal temperature forthe implementation of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 10 is a graph of ¹⁸O and ¹⁶O dose loss percentage vs. annealtemperature for the implementation of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a semiconductor deviceincluding a superlattice channel with one or more enriched ¹⁸Omonolayers.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a semiconductor deviceincluding a superlattice with one or more enriched ¹⁸O monolayers anddividing a semiconductor layer into regions having a same conductivitytype and different dopant concentrations.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a semiconductor deviceincluding a superlattice with one or more enriched ¹⁸O monolayers andincluding a metal contact layer above the superlattice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which the example embodimentsare shown. The embodiments may, however, be implemented in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to the specificexamples set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete. Like numbers referto like elements throughout, and prime notation is used to indicatesimilar elements in different embodiments.

Generally speaking, the present disclosure relates to the formation ofsemiconductor devices utilizing an enhanced semiconductor superlattice.The enhanced semiconductor superlattice may also be referred to as an“MST” layer/film or “MST technology” in this disclosure.

More particularly, the MST technology relates to advanced semiconductormaterials such as the superlattice 25 described further below. Applicanttheorizes, without wishing to be bound thereto, that certainsuperlattices as described herein reduce the effective mass of chargecarriers and that this thereby leads to higher charge carrier mobility.Effective mass is described with various definitions in the literature.As a measure of the improvement in effective mass Applicant's use a“conductivity reciprocal effective mass tensor”, M_(e) ⁻¹ and M_(h) ⁻¹for electrons and holes respectively, defined as:

${M_{e,{ij}}^{- 1}\left( {E_{F},T} \right)} = \frac{\sum\limits_{E > E_{F}}{\int\limits_{B.Z.}{\left( {\nabla_{k}{E\left( {k,n} \right)}} \right)_{i}\left( {\nabla_{k}{E\left( {k,n} \right)}} \right)_{j}\frac{\partial{f\left( {{E\left( {k,n} \right)},E_{F},T} \right)}}{\partial E}d^{3}k}}}{\sum\limits_{E > E_{F}}{\int\limits_{B.Z.}{{f\left( {{E\left( {k,n} \right)},E_{F},T} \right)}d^{3}k}}}$for electrons and:

${M_{h,{ij}}^{- 1}\left( {E_{F},T} \right)} = \frac{- {\sum\limits_{E < E_{F}}{\int\limits_{B.Z.}{\left( {\nabla_{k}{E\left( {k,n} \right)}} \right)_{i}\left( {\nabla_{k}{E\left( {k,n} \right)}} \right)_{j}\frac{\partial{f\left( {{E\left( {k,n} \right)},E_{F},T} \right)}}{\partial E}d^{3}k}}}}{\sum\limits_{E < E_{F}}{\int\limits_{B.Z.}{\left( {1 - {f\left( {{E\left( {k,n} \right)},E_{F},T} \right)}} \right)d^{3}k}}}$for holes, where f is the Fermi-Dirac distribution, E_(F) is the Fermienergy, T is the temperature, E(k,n) is the energy of an electron in thestate corresponding to wave vector k and the n^(th) energy band, theindices i and j refer to Cartesian coordinates x, y and z, the integralsare taken over the Brillouin zone (B.Z.), and the summations are takenover bands with energies above and below the Fermi energy for electronsand holes respectively.

Applicant's definition of the conductivity reciprocal effective masstensor is such that a tensorial component of the conductivity of thematerial is greater for greater values of the corresponding component ofthe conductivity reciprocal effective mass tensor. Again, Applicanttheorizes without wishing to be bound thereto that the superlatticesdescribed herein set the values of the conductivity reciprocal effectivemass tensor so as to enhance the conductive properties of the material,such as typically for a preferred direction of charge carrier transport.The inverse of the appropriate tensor element is referred to as theconductivity effective mass. In other words, to characterizesemiconductor material structures, the conductivity effective mass forelectrons/holes as described above and calculated in the direction ofintended carrier transport is used to distinguish improved materials.

Applicant has identified improved materials or structures for use insemiconductor devices. More specifically, Applicant has identifiedmaterials or structures having energy band structures for which theappropriate conductivity effective masses for electrons and/or holes aresubstantially less than the corresponding values for silicon. Inaddition to the enhanced mobility characteristics of these structures,they may also be formed or used in such a manner that they providepiezoelectric, pyroelectric, and/or ferroelectric properties that areadvantageous for use in a variety of different types of devices, as willbe discussed further below.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the materials or structures are in theform of a superlattice 25 whose structure is controlled at the atomic ormolecular level and may be formed using known techniques of atomic ormolecular layer deposition. The superlattice 25 includes a plurality oflayer groups 45 a-45 n arranged in stacked relation, as perhaps bestunderstood with specific reference to the schematic cross-sectional viewof FIG. 1 .

Each group of layers 45 a-45 n of the superlattice 25 illustrativelyincludes a plurality of stacked base semiconductor monolayers 46defining a respective base semiconductor portion 46 a-46 n and an energyband-modifying layer 50 thereon. The energy band-modifying layers 50 areindicated by stippling in FIG. 1 for clarity of illustration.

The energy band-modifying layer 50 illustratively includes onenon-semiconductor monolayer constrained within a crystal lattice ofadjacent base semiconductor portions. By “constrained within a crystallattice of adjacent base semiconductor portions” it is meant that atleast some semiconductor atoms from opposing base semiconductor portions46 a-46 n are chemically bound together through the non-semiconductormonolayer 50 therebetween, as seen in FIG. 2 . Generally speaking, thisconfiguration is made possible by controlling the amount ofnon-semiconductor material that is deposited on semiconductor portions46 a-46 n through atomic layer deposition techniques so that not all(i.e., less than full or 100% coverage) of the available semiconductorbonding sites are populated with bonds to non-semiconductor atoms, aswill be discussed further below. Thus, as further monolayers 46 ofsemiconductor material are deposited on or over a non-semiconductormonolayer 50, the newly deposited semiconductor atoms will populate theremaining vacant bonding sites of the semiconductor atoms below thenon-semiconductor monolayer.

In other embodiments, more than one such non-semiconductor monolayer maybe possible. It should be noted that reference herein to anon-semiconductor or semiconductor monolayer means that the materialused for the monolayer would be a non-semiconductor or semiconductor ifformed in bulk. That is, a single monolayer of a material, such assilicon, may not necessarily exhibit the same properties that it wouldif formed in bulk or in a relatively thick layer, as will be appreciatedby those skilled in the art.

Applicant theorizes without wishing to be bound thereto that energyband-modifying layers 50 and adjacent base semiconductor portions 46a-46 n cause the superlattice 25 to have a lower appropriateconductivity effective mass for the charge carriers in the parallellayer direction than would otherwise be present. Considered another way,this parallel direction is orthogonal to the stacking direction. Theband modifying layers 50 may also cause the superlattice 25 to have acommon energy band structure, while also advantageously functioning asan insulator between layers or regions vertically above and below thesuperlattice.

Moreover, this superlattice structure may also advantageously act as abarrier to dopant and/or material diffusion between layers verticallyabove and below the superlattice 25. These properties may thusadvantageously allow the superlattice 25 to provide an interface forhigh-K dielectrics which not only reduces diffusion of the high-Kmaterial into the channel region, but which may also advantageouslyreduce unwanted scattering effects and improve device mobility, as willbe appreciated by those skilled in the art.

It is also theorized that semiconductor devices including thesuperlattice 25 may enjoy a higher charge carrier mobility based uponthe lower conductivity effective mass than would otherwise be present.In some embodiments, and as a result of the band engineering achieved bythe present invention, the superlattice 25 may further have asubstantially direct energy bandgap that may be particularlyadvantageous for opto-electronic devices, for example.

The superlattice 25 also illustratively includes a cap layer 52 on anupper layer group 45 n. The cap layer 52 may comprise a plurality ofbase semiconductor monolayers 46. By way of example, the cap layer 52may have between 1 to 100 monolayers 46 of the base semiconductor, and,more preferably between 10 to 50 monolayers. However, in someapplications the cap layer 52 may be omitted, or thicknesses greaterthan 100 monolayers may be used.

Each base semiconductor portion 46 a-46 n may comprise a basesemiconductor selected from the group consisting of Group IVsemiconductors, Group III-V semiconductors, and Group II-VIsemiconductors. Of course, the term Group IV semiconductors alsoincludes Group IV-IV semiconductors, as will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art. More particularly, the base semiconductor maycomprise at least one of silicon and germanium, for example.

Each energy band-modifying layer 50 may comprise a non-semiconductorselected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen, fluorine, carbonand carbon-oxygen, for example. The non-semiconductor is also desirablythermally stable through deposition of a next layer to therebyfacilitate manufacturing. In other embodiments, the non-semiconductormay be another inorganic or organic element or compound that iscompatible with the given semiconductor processing as will beappreciated by those skilled in the art. More particularly, the basesemiconductor may comprise at least one of silicon and germanium, forexample.

It should be noted that the term monolayer is meant to include a singleatomic layer and also a single molecular layer. It is also noted thatthe energy band-modifying layer 50 provided by a single monolayer isalso meant to include a monolayer wherein not all of the possible sitesare occupied (i.e., there is less than full or 100% coverage). Forexample, with particular reference to the atomic diagram of FIG. 2 , a4/1 repeating structure is illustrated for silicon as the basesemiconductor material, and oxygen as the energy band-modifyingmaterial. Only half of the possible sites for oxygen are occupied in theillustrated example.

In other embodiments and/or with different materials this one-halfoccupation would not necessarily be the case as will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art. Indeed, it can be seen even in this schematicdiagram, that individual atoms of oxygen in a given monolayer are notprecisely aligned along a flat plane as will also be appreciated bythose of skill in the art of atomic deposition. By way of example, apreferred occupation range is from about one-eighth to one-half of thepossible oxygen sites being full, although other numbers may be used incertain embodiments.

Silicon and oxygen are currently widely used in conventionalsemiconductor processing, and, hence, manufacturers will be readily ableto use these materials as described herein. Atomic or monolayerdeposition is also now widely used. Accordingly, semiconductor devicesincorporating the superlattice 25 in accordance with the invention maybe readily adopted and implemented, as will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art.

It is theorized without Applicant wishing to be bound thereto that for asuperlattice, such as the Si/O superlattice, for example, that thenumber of silicon monolayers should desirably be seven or less so thatthe energy band of the superlattice is common or relatively uniformthroughout to achieve the desired advantages. The 4/1 repeatingstructure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , for Si/O has been modeled to indicatean enhanced mobility for electrons and holes in the X direction. Forexample, the calculated conductivity effective mass for electrons(isotropic for bulk silicon) is 0.26 and for the 4/1 SiO superlattice inthe X direction it is 0.12 resulting in a ratio of 0.46. Similarly, thecalculation for holes yields values of 0.36 for bulk silicon and 0.16for the 4/1 Si/O superlattice resulting in a ratio of 0.44.

While such a directionally preferential feature may be desired incertain semiconductor devices, other devices may benefit from a moreuniform increase in mobility in any direction parallel to the groups oflayers. It may also be beneficial to have an increased mobility for bothelectrons and holes, or just one of these types of charge carriers aswill be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The lower conductivity effective mass for the 4/1 Si/O embodiment of thesuperlattice 25 may be less than two-thirds the conductivity effectivemass than would otherwise occur, and this applies for both electrons andholes. Of course, the superlattice 25 may further comprise at least onetype of conductivity dopant therein, as will also be appreciated bythose skilled in the art.

Indeed, referring now additionally to FIG. 3 , another embodiment of asuperlattice 25′ in accordance with the invention having differentproperties is now described. In this embodiment, a repeating pattern of3/1/5/1 is illustrated. More particularly, the lowest base semiconductorportion 46 a′ has three monolayers, and the second lowest basesemiconductor portion 46 b′ has five monolayers. This pattern repeatsthroughout the superlattice 25′. The energy band-modifying layers 50′may each include a single monolayer. For such a superlattice 25′including Si/O, the enhancement of charge carrier mobility isindependent of orientation in the plane of the layers. Those otherelements of FIG. 3 not specifically mentioned are similar to thosediscussed above with reference to FIG. 1 and need no further discussionherein.

In some device embodiments, all of the base semiconductor portions of asuperlattice may be a same number of monolayers thick. In otherembodiments, at least some of the base semiconductor portions may be adifferent number of monolayers thick. In still other embodiments, all ofthe base semiconductor portions may be a different number of monolayersthick.

In FIGS. 4A-4C, band structures calculated using Density FunctionalTheory (DFT) are presented. It is well known in the art that DFTunderestimates the absolute value of the bandgap. Hence all bands abovethe gap may be shifted by an appropriate “scissors correction.” However,the shape of the band is known to be much more reliable. The verticalenergy axes should be interpreted in this light.

FIG. 4A shows the calculated band structure from the gamma point (G) forboth bulk silicon (represented by continuous lines) and for the 4/1 Si/Osuperlattice 25 shown in FIG. 1 (represented by dotted lines). Thedirections refer to the unit cell of the 4/1 Si/O structure and not tothe conventional unit cell of Si, although the (001) direction in thefigure does correspond to the (001) direction of the conventional unitcell of Si, and, hence, shows the expected location of the Si conductionband minimum. The (100) and (010) directions in the figure correspond tothe (110) and (−110) directions of the conventional Si unit cell. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the bands of Si on the figureare folded to represent them on the appropriate reciprocal latticedirections for the 4/1 Si/O structure.

It can be seen that the conduction band minimum for the 4/1 Si/Ostructure is located at the gamma point in contrast to bulk silicon(Si), whereas the valence band minimum occurs at the edge of theBrillouin zone in the (001) direction which we refer to as the Z point.One may also note the greater curvature of the conduction band minimumfor the 4/1 Si/O structure compared to the curvature of the conductionband minimum for Si owing to the band splitting due to the perturbationintroduced by the additional oxygen layer.

FIG. 4B shows the calculated band structure from the Z point for bothbulk silicon (continuous lines) and for the 4/1 Si/O superlattice 25(dotted lines). This figure illustrates the enhanced curvature of thevalence band in the (100) direction.

FIG. 4C shows the calculated band structure from both the gamma and Zpoint for both bulk silicon (continuous lines) and for the 5/1/3/1 Si/Ostructure of the superlattice 25′ of FIG. 3 (dotted lines). Due to thesymmetry of the 5/1/3/1 Si/O structure, the calculated band structuresin the (100) and (010) directions are equivalent. Thus, the conductivityeffective mass and mobility are expected to be isotropic in the planeparallel to the layers, i.e. perpendicular to the (001) stackingdirection. Note that in the 5/1/3/1 Si/O example the conduction bandminimum and the valence band maximum are both at or close to the Zpoint.

Although increased curvature is an indication of reduced effective mass,the appropriate comparison and discrimination may be made via theconductivity reciprocal effective mass tensor calculation. This leadsApplicant to further theorize that the 5/1/3/1 superlattice 25′ shouldbe substantially direct bandgap. As will be understood by those skilledin the art, the appropriate matrix element for optical transition isanother indicator of the distinction between direct and indirect bandgapbehavior.

Turning now to FIG. 5 , in some embodiments the above-describedsuperlattice films 25 may be fabricated with one or more oxygenmonolayers 50 which have an increased or enhanced amount of ¹⁸O. In atypical fabrication process, the approximate concentration of stableoxygen isotopes present in the gas flow used for oxygen deposition maybe as follows:

Isotope Mass (Da) [%] ¹⁶O 15.99492 99.757 ¹⁷O 16.99913 0.038 ¹⁸O17.99916 0.205In the semiconductor device 120 shown in FIG. 5 , a superlattice 125 isformed adjacent a semiconductor layer 121 (e.g., substrate) whichincludes two groups of monolayers 145 a, 145 b, each including a basesemiconductor portion 146 a, 146 b with four semiconductor (e.g.,silicon) monolayers 146, and a respective oxygen monolayer 150 a, 150 b.However, it should be noted that other base semiconductor portionthicknesses may be used in different embodiments, e.g., up totwenty-five monolayers 146 or even fifty monolayers (or more) in someimplementations. While the oxygen monolayer 150 b is fabricated using atypical gas flow, the oxygen monolayer 150 a is fabricated using a gasflow having an enhanced or increased amount of ¹⁸O to thereby provide an¹⁸O enriched monolayer. By way of example, the monolayer 150 a maycomprise an atomic percentage of ¹⁸O greater than ten percent. That is,the number of ¹⁸O atoms present in the monolayer 150 a may constitute10% or more of the total oxygen atoms in this monolayer(s). In otherexample embodiments, the atomic percentage of ¹⁸O atoms in the monolayer150 a may be greater than fifty percent of the total oxygen atoms, andmore particularly greater than ninety percent. In any case, the ¹⁸Oenriched monolayer 150 a may also include some portion of ¹⁶O.

Referring additionally to the semiconductor device 120′ of FIG. 6 , insome implementations more than one ¹⁸O enriched monolayer 150 a′ may beused. Here, each of the two groups of layers 145 a′, 145 b′ has arespective ¹⁸O enriched monolayer 150 a′. Other superlattice layerconfigurations may also be used in different embodiments.

The use of one or more ¹⁸O enriched monolayers 150 a in an MST layer maybe advantageous in view of the kinetic isotope effect of interstitialoxygen within the semiconductor (e.g., silicon) lattice of the basesemiconductor portions 146 a, 146 b. More particularly, free oxygenatoms in silicon are relatively highly mobile, which may lead tounwanted diffusion via an interstitial mechanism. Diffusion of oxygen isthermally activated, and is therefore susceptible to occur in subsequentthermal processing steps (e.g., gate formation, etc.) after thesuperlattice 125 formation. Because ¹⁸O is chemically equivalent to ¹⁶Oin terms of its nuclear spin (both are 0), it is well suited for use inthe above-described superlattice structures where oxygen monolayers withtypical ¹⁶O concentrations would otherwise be used. However, as a resultof the kinetic isotope effect, activation energy for a lighter isotopeis less than for a heavier isotope. In the present example, ¹⁶O is alighter isotope than ¹⁸O, meaning that ¹⁸O will have a higher activationenergy than ¹⁶O. Thus, activated processes for ¹⁸O are accordinglyslower, meaning that ¹⁸O will diffuse more slowly than ¹⁶O. As a result,and as theorized by Applicant without wishing to be bound thereto, ¹⁸Oenriched monolayers 150 a will experience less diffusion/oxygen lossduring the above-noted thermal processing, for example.

The foregoing will be further understood with reference to the graph 170of FIG. 7 , table 180 of FIG. 8 , and graphs 190, 195 of FIGS. 9 and 10representing test results from a fabricated device including four ¹⁶Omonolayers and four ¹⁸O enriched monolayers. The test device wasfabricated using an etch-back procedure (referred to as “MEGA” in thefigures) during fabrication that is described further in U.S. Pat Nos.10,566,191 and 10,811,498 to Weeks et al., which are assigned to thepresent Applicant and hereby incorporated herein in their entireties byreference. The ¹⁸O concentration is represented by the plot line 171,while the ¹⁶O concentration is represented by the plotline 172. It maybe seen that the location of the oxygen monolayer 150 a occurs between20 and 30 nm from the surface and has an ¹⁸O concentration in a range of1×10²¹ atoms/cm³. The corresponding measurements for the test film areshown in the table 180 of FIG. 8 , the corresponding dose loss vs.anneal temperature is shown in the graph 190, and the corresponding doseloss percentage vs. anneal temperature is shown in the graph 195 of FIG.10 .

Numerous types of semiconductor structures may be fabricated with, andbenefit from, the above-described ¹⁸O enhanced superlattices 120 or120′. One such device is a planar MOSFET 220 now described withreference to FIG. 11 . The illustrated MOSFET 220 includes a substrate221, source/drain regions 222, 223, source/drain extensions 226, 227,and a channel region therebetween provided by an ¹⁸O enhancedsuperlattice 225. The channel may be formed partially or completelywithin the superlattice 225. Source/drain silicide layers 230, 231 andsource/drain contacts 232, 233 overlie the source/drain regions as willbe appreciated by those skilled in the art. Regions indicated by dashedlines 234 a, 234 b are optional vestigial portions formed originallywith the superlattice 225, but thereafter heavily doped. In otherembodiments, these vestigial superlattice regions 234 a, 234 b may notbe present as will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Agate 235 illustratively includes a gate insulating layer 237 adjacentthe channel provided by the superlattice 225, and a gate electrode layer236 on the gate insulating layer. Sidewall spacers 240, 241 are alsoprovided in the illustrated MOSFET 220.

Referring additionally to FIG. 12 , in accordance with another exampleof a device in which an ¹⁸O enriched superlattice 325 may beincorporated is a semiconductor device 300, in which the superlattice isused as a dopant diffusion blocking superlattice to advantageouslyincrease surface dopant concentration to allow a higher N_(D) (activedopant concentration at metal/semiconductor interface) during in-situdoped epitaxial processing by preventing diffusion into a channel region330 of the device. More particularly, the device 100 illustrativelyincludes a semiconductor layer or substrate 301, and spaced apart sourceand drain regions 302, 303 formed in the semiconductor layer with thechannel region 330 extending therebetween. The dopant diffusion blockingsuperlattice 325 illustratively extends through the source region 302 todivide the source region into a lower source region 304 and an uppersource region 305, and also extends through the drain region 303 todivide the drain region into a lower drain region 306 and an upper drainregion 307.

The dopant diffusion blocking superlattice 325 may also conceptually beconsidered as a source dopant blocking superlattice within the sourceregion 302, a drain dopant blocking superlattice within the drain region303, and a body dopant blocking superlattice beneath the channel 330,although in this configuration all three of these are provided by asingle blanket deposition of the MST material across the substrate 301as a continuous film. The semiconductor material above the dopantblocking superlattice 325 in which the upper source/drain regions 305,307 and channel region 330 are defined may be epitaxially grown on thedopant blocking superlattice 325 either as a thick superlattice caplayer or bulk semiconductor layer, for example. In the illustratedexample, the upper source/drain regions 305, 307 may each be level withan upper surface of this semiconductor layer (i.e., they are implantedwithin this layer).

As such, the upper source/drain regions 305, 307 may advantageously havea same conductivity as the lower source/drain regions 304, 306, yet witha higher dopant concentration. In the illustrated example, the uppersource/drain regions 305, 307 and the lower source/drain regions 304,306 are N-type for a N-channel device, but these regions may also beP-type for a P-channel device as well. Surface dopant may be introducedby ion implantation, for example. Yet, the dopant diffusion is reducedby the MST film material of the diffusion blocking superlattice 325because it traps point defects/interstitials introduced by ionimplantation which mediate dopant diffusion.

The semiconductor device 300 further illustratively includes a gate 308on the channel region 330. The gate illustratively includes a gateinsulating layer 309 gate electrode 310. Sidewall spacers 311 are alsoprovided in the illustrated example. Further details regarding thedevice 300, as well as other similar structures in which an ¹⁸O enrichedsuperlattice may be used, are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 10,818,755 toTakeuchi et al., which is assigned to the present Applicant and herebyincorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

Turning to FIG. 13 , another example embodiment of a semiconductordevice 400 in which an ¹⁸O enriched superlattice may be used is nowdescribed. More particularly, in the illustrated example both source anddrain dopant diffusion blocking superlattices 425 s, 425 dadvantageously provide for Schottky barrier height modulation viahetero-epitaxial film integration. More particularly, the lower sourceand drain regions 404, 406 include a different material than the uppersource and drain regions 405, 407. In this example, the lower source anddrain regions 404, 406 are silicon, and the upper source and drainregions 405, 407 are SiGeC, although different materials may be used indifferent embodiments. Lower metal layers (Ti) 442, 443 are formed onthe upper source and drain regions (SiGeC layers) 405, 407. Upper metallayers (Co) 444, 445 are formed on the lower metal layers 442, 443,respectively. Because the MST material is effective in integratinghetero-epitaxial semiconductor material, incorporation of C(1-2%) to Sior SiGe on Si may induce a positive conduction band offset. Moreparticularly, this is a SiGeC/MST/n+ Si structure that is effective forreducing Schottky barrier height. Further details regarding the device400 are set forth in the above-noted '755 patent.

One skilled in the art, however, will appreciate that the materials andtechniques identified herein may be used in many different types ofsemiconductor devices, such as discrete devices and/or integratedcircuits. Referring again to FIG. 6 , in the context of dopant blockingapplications, the ¹⁸O enriched superlattice 125′ divides the substrate121′ and the cap layer 52′, but the substrate has a differentconductivity type (P) than the cap layer (N) to thereby define a PNjunction. In other example embodiments, the PN junction may be lateral,as opposed to vertically oriented as shown in the example of FIG. 6 .Further PN junction applications in which ¹⁸O enriched superlattice maybe used are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 7,227,174 to Mears et al., whichis assigned to the present Applicant and hereby incorporated herein inits entirety by reference. It should also be noted that in someembodiments, ¹⁸O enriched monolayers may also be incorporated insuperlattices and associated applications such as those described inco-pending application Ser. Nos. 17/236,289 and 17/236,329 filed Apr.21, 2021, which are hereby incorporated herein in their entireties byreference.

Applicant theorizes, without wishing to be bound thereto, that an ¹⁸Osource can be used interchangeably with traditional ¹⁶O sources tofabricate the above-described semiconductor superlattices. Moreover,Applicant has found that similar ¹⁸O flow rates yield similar oxygendosages to those of ¹⁶O. Furthermore, the semiconductor monolayer growthand etch rates are also similar between ¹⁶O and ¹⁸O sources.Phenomenological study/observations have revealed that ¹⁶O incorporationin the ¹⁸O superlattice layers is affected by the above-described MEGAetch. More particularly, with respect to the test device represented inFIG. 7 , implementations of the device without the MEGA etch showed thefirst ¹⁶O to be lower than the other three ¹⁶O peaks in the same stack,whereas adding a MEGA etch before the first oxygen dosing cycle resultedin a superlattice stack with all four ¹⁶O peaks being of the sameconcentration. By way of example, ¹⁸O dose retention may be 30% better(or more) than ¹⁶O dose retention.

A related method for making a semiconductor device 120 may includeforming a semiconductor layer 121, and forming a superlattice 125adjacent the semiconductor layer and including stacked groups of layers145 a, 145 b. Each group of layers 145 a, 145 b may include stacked basesemiconductor monolayers 146 defining a base semiconductor portion 146a, 146 b, and at least one oxygen monolayer 150 a constrained within acrystal lattice of adjacent base semiconductor portions. The at leastone oxygen monolayer 150 a may comprise an atomic percentage of ¹⁸Ogreater than 10 percent, as discussed further above.

In accordance with the example of FIG. 11 , further method aspects mayinclude forming source and drain regions 222, 223 on the semiconductorlayer 221 and defining a channel in the superlattice 225, and forming agate 235 above the superlattice. In accordance with the example of FIG.13 , further method aspects may include forming a metal layer 442/444and/or 443/445 above the superlattice 425 s, 425 d, as discussed furtherabove.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come tothe mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachingspresented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings.Therefore, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited tothe specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications andembodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appendedclaims.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor device comprising: asemiconductor layer; and a superlattice adjacent the semiconductor layerand comprising a plurality of stacked groups of layers, each group oflayers comprising a plurality of stacked base semiconductor monolayersdefining a base semiconductor portion, and at least one oxygen monolayerconstrained within a crystal lattice of adjacent base semiconductorportions; the at least one oxygen monolayer of a given group of layerscomprising an atomic percentage of ¹⁸O greater than 10 percent.
 2. Thesemiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the at least one oxygenmonolayer of the given group of layers comprises an atomic percentage of¹⁸O greater than 50 percent.
 3. The semiconductor device of claim 1wherein the at least one oxygen monolayer of the given group of layerscomprises an atomic percentage of ¹⁸O greater than 90 percent.
 4. Thesemiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the at least one oxygenmonolayer of the given group of layers further comprises ¹⁶O.
 5. Thesemiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the at least one oxygenmonolayer of each group of layers comprises an atomic percentage of ¹⁸Ogreater than 10 percent.
 6. The semiconductor device of claim 1 furthercomprising source and drain regions on the semiconductor layer anddefining a channel in the superlattice, and a gate above thesuperlattice.
 7. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein thesuperlattice divides the semiconductor layer into a first region and asecond region, with the first region having a same conductivity type asthe second region and a different dopant concentration than the secondregion.
 8. The semiconductor device of claim 1 further comprising ametal layer above the superlattice.
 9. The semiconductor device of claim1 wherein the superlattice divides the semiconductor layer into a firstregion and a second region, with the first region having a differentconductivity type than the second region.
 10. The semiconductor deviceof claim 1 wherein the base semiconductor layer comprises silicon.
 11. Asemiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor layer; and asuperlattice adjacent the semiconductor layer and comprising a pluralityof stacked groups of layers, each group of layers comprising a pluralityof stacked base silicon monolayers defining a base silicon portion, andat least one oxygen monolayer constrained within a crystal lattice ofadjacent base silicon portions; the at least one oxygen monolayer of agiven group of layers comprising an atomic percentage of ¹⁸O greaterthan 50 percent.
 12. The semiconductor device of claim 11 wherein the atleast one oxygen monolayer of the given group of layers comprises anatomic percentage of ¹⁸O greater than 90 percent.
 13. The semiconductordevice of claim 11 wherein the at least one oxygen monolayer of thegiven group of layers comprises ¹⁶O.
 14. The semiconductor device ofclaim 11 wherein the at least one oxygen monolayer of each group oflayers within the superlattice comprises an atomic percentage of ¹⁸Ogreater than 50 percent.
 15. The semiconductor device of claim 11further comprising source and drain regions on the semiconductor layerand defining a channel in the superlattice, and a gate above thesuperlattice.
 16. The semiconductor device of claim 11 wherein thesuperlattice divides the semiconductor layer into a first region and asecond region, with the first region having a same conductivity type asthe second region and a different dopant concentration than the secondregion.
 17. The semiconductor device of claim 11 further comprising ametal layer above the superlattice.
 18. The semiconductor device ofclaim 11 wherein the superlattice divides the semiconductor layer into afirst region and a second region, with the first region having adifferent conductivity type than the second region.
 19. A semiconductordevice comprising: a semiconductor layer; and a superlattice adjacentthe semiconductor layer and comprising a plurality of stacked groups oflayers, each group of layers comprising a plurality of stacked basesilicon monolayers defining a base silicon portion, and at least oneoxygen monolayer constrained within a crystal lattice of adjacent basesilicon portions; each at least one oxygen monolayer constrained withinthe crystal lattice of adjacent base silicon portions comprising anatomic percentage of ¹⁸O greater than 90 percent.
 20. The semiconductordevice of claim 19 wherein each at least one oxygen monolayer comprises¹⁶O.
 21. The semiconductor device of claim 19 further comprising sourceand drain regions on the semiconductor layer and defining a channel inthe superlattice, and a gate above the superlattice.
 22. Thesemiconductor device of claim 19 wherein the superlattice divides thesemiconductor layer into a first region and a second region, with thefirst region having a same conductivity type as the second region and adifferent dopant concentration than the second region.
 23. Thesemiconductor device of claim 19 further comprising a metal layer abovethe superlattice.
 24. The semiconductor device of claim 19 wherein thesuperlattice divides the semiconductor layer into a first region and asecond region, with the first region having a different conductivitytype than the second region.